Giant Swallowtail

The Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes  #4170 is one of the largest butterflies in our area.  This black butterfly has large yellow spots across the topside of the wings and around near the edge of the wings.  When its wings are open flat, the whole butterfly looks like a giant mouth.    The underside of the wings is mostly yellow with some black and blue and a bit of dark red spots.   The host plants for the Giant Swallowtail female are plants in the Citrus family.  These plants include lemon,  orange and lime tree leaves.  There is an herb in that family called Rue that the female uses, also.  Both male and female will visit a variety of plants for nectar.